tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33476701462678127532015-09-16T15:30:48.366-07:00Jim's WhiteboardGood way to work out your ideas? Write them down. Better way to work out your ideas? Put them up on a blog for global scrutiny, ridicule, and correction. I also figure the best way to make sure that keep up on my personal work it to make myself feel guilty for not updating my blog.
----and if I haven't posted in a while, don't worry. I still love you. I'm just busy doin' other things.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-37984860608581885472012-01-26T16:39:00.000-08:002012-01-26T16:44:08.070-08:00I'm not dead yet!I feel happy! I think I'll go for a walk.<br /><br />I should really get back to posting finished work. Dam Skyward Sword.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TitR4bj5zyw/TyHyxH99PfI/AAAAAAAAALE/ZWlKMHjYHLo/s1600/MoiBlocks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TitR4bj5zyw/TyHyxH99PfI/AAAAAAAAALE/ZWlKMHjYHLo/s320/MoiBlocks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702105528994184690" border="0" /></a><br />I have a back log of images and screenshots that I need to post.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-39763884285084938292010-11-22T17:40:00.001-08:002010-11-22T17:49:13.797-08:00Rarrrah!!!What a Tavern Bully. Sheesh! Some more rig work for Cerebus the Aardvark from <a href="http://whatcomix.blogspot.com">What Comix</a>. Make sure to check it out! Here's a demo of the muscle bound oaf:<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DebFSAyGY3E?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DebFSAyGY3E?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />All muscles are geometrical influences. Most of the influences are expression driven to create their deformation. And all deformable meshes are override-able via a small control located off the left hip.<br /><br />English translation: Muscles move by themselves but can be controlled if need be. It's a cool system.<br /><br />Oddly, the most difficult portion of this rig was the chest belt. It had to move with the torso and also has to get out of the way of the deforming muscles. What I did for this situation (since it was one whole mesh) was to skin the back side to the spine joints, and create several free floating joints that are completely free to move in space at the front of the torso. They'll move with the spine, but are free to be moved and rotated to simulate sitting on a fast moving body. A simple solution, really.<br /><br />On to the next rig! Yea!! (I love this shit.)rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-2210604478750100052010-11-08T11:24:00.000-08:002010-11-08T11:42:26.774-08:00What's New Scooby Doo?I'm tired of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lrouKq1HBc">Velma</a>. There. I said it. Time to move on and complete the cast of <a href="http://www.scoobydoomysteryinc.com">Mystery Inc.</a> like I said I would (to no one) a long time ago. Scooby's the hardest of the bunch, I think, to model, rig, and animate.<br /><br />Scoob's a very stylized <a href="http://www.officialgreatdaneguide.com/Great_Dane_Pictures/GreatDane18.jpg">Great Dane</a>. His proportions are about right, but he's all angles, knoby knees, and teethy grins. He has very wild takes, opens his jaw very wide (to accommodate big sandwiches), and walks bipedaly sometimes. He talks sometimes, too. These are all gonna make this rig a heck of a challenge.<br /><br />Started this morning on the modeling. This is about five hours in. The biggest hiccup I've run into so far was his paws. I derp'ed and gave him only three toes on each foot before I realized my mistake. His paws will need to be plantable with toe-spread to show his weight, and....they'll need to be articulateable because Scoob gestures like a person with regular hands does.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/TNhRd2g88KI/AAAAAAAAAKo/B44q00oUXIQ/s1600/Scoob1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/TNhRd2g88KI/AAAAAAAAAKo/B44q00oUXIQ/s320/Scoob1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537265315143807138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Some editing of the style sheets was needed here.</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/TNhRiio-q_I/AAAAAAAAAKw/cu0O3vLMVBk/s1600/Scoob2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/TNhRiio-q_I/AAAAAAAAAKw/cu0O3vLMVBk/s320/Scoob2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537265395708111858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Head and body are separate pieces of geometry.</span><br /></div><br /><br />Things next to do are eyes, throat (he'll need a very large throat), teeth (they'll need to be retractable 'cause you only see them them at appropriate times) and a great big Great Dane tongue.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-73582512759782968292010-11-04T10:21:00.000-07:002010-11-04T10:32:19.621-07:00Velma Vs VelmaOver the past few months I had to get a new job, a new apartment, and struggle to keep up in the side projects that I've taken on. Just finished some rigging and UV layout for <a href="http://whatcomix.blogspot.com/">Cerebus the Arrdvark</a>. It's an independent project out of California. I've very much looking forward to seeing the final results of everyone's hard work!<br /><br />In all that I've been fitting in some of my own personal project work (when I'm not playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 that is). And here she...er, they are. Not to brag, but I'm very good at losing in Street Fighter. I love playing it regardless. I know there are some inconsistencies between what's said and the moves made but I wasn't going for strict accuracy here--just for fun. Hope you enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2lrouKq1HBc?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2lrouKq1HBc?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />You can grab a <a href="http://jameszonta.prohosting.com/VelmaVsVelmaFinal.wmv">high resolution version here</a>.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-27796338979067528592010-06-30T08:13:00.000-07:002010-06-30T08:16:07.945-07:00A Familiar FaceI'm not going to tell you what I'm planning here. You'll just have to wait and see.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/TCtfWu_9WNI/AAAAAAAAAKY/Cfq9lwsk8i4/s1600/Velmaskele.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/TCtfWu_9WNI/AAAAAAAAAKY/Cfq9lwsk8i4/s320/Velmaskele.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488585415059134674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Click to embiggen...</span><br /></div>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-50669053179134900082009-06-16T07:15:00.000-07:002009-06-16T07:26:24.576-07:00Voyager Fly-byNow that the model's all done I thought I'd put together a little exhibition video. Just some fly-bys, nothing too extravagant...yet. Maybe I'll put together a Borg Cube later and stage a battle sequence. <br /><br />Music and sound effects are from Wrath of Khan (has a better score than the Voyager series, IMO).<br /><br />Looks and feels better in HQ and Fullscreen!<br /><br /><center><br /><object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hiCVcKbCifE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hiCVcKbCifE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object></center>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-50140943422675671362009-06-10T06:33:00.001-07:002009-06-10T06:44:43.712-07:00Voyager RendersSo she's about done. Over a million and a half triangles. Over 20 maps. And about a month of work from scratch to render. Big renders, click on em and have a look-see.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/Si-2Wr6lsuI/AAAAAAAAAKI/yWmjFDVnFJ8/s1600-h/Voyager_Zonta_top3qtr01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/Si-2Wr6lsuI/AAAAAAAAAKI/yWmjFDVnFJ8/s320/Voyager_Zonta_top3qtr01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345691783573910242" border="0" /></a><br />I'll work up some fly bys some time soon.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/Si-2e2HiXDI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/nrSPU6SQ5Wc/s1600-h/Voyager_Zonta_rear3qtr01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/Si-2e2HiXDI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/nrSPU6SQ5Wc/s320/Voyager_Zonta_rear3qtr01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345691923751525426" border="0" /></a>The starfield back grounds are NASA images. Thank you NASA!rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-5164980468829640102009-06-03T07:03:00.000-07:002009-06-03T07:12:25.150-07:00Voyager progresses...Took some time off this project to work on an animation, but now I'm back on it full steam (besides looking for a job). The memory demands are killin' me on this one. The main hull has, so far, two 4K maps @ 100 dpi for bump and beauty. I'm expecting to at least do a spec and glow yet. Even using BOT textures I get a memory exception after a few test renders.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SiaDn3Q2SFI/AAAAAAAAAKA/W4HPYwTZcFY/s1600-h/Voyint03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SiaDn3Q2SFI/AAAAAAAAAKA/W4HPYwTZcFY/s320/Voyint03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343102728794425426" border="0" /></a>I need to change the color of the Deflector Dish background....I just noticed that it's wrong. :p<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SiaDi4X-G8I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/AtTkybcTxzw/s1600-h/Voyint02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SiaDi4X-G8I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/AtTkybcTxzw/s320/Voyint02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343102643193387970" border="0" /></a>Click on the images to view them larger. Plenty of details going on in there.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SiaDdsnSyII/AAAAAAAAAJw/hmvGy9d-z1k/s1600-h/Voyint01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SiaDdsnSyII/AAAAAAAAAJw/hmvGy9d-z1k/s320/Voyint01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343102554137086082" border="0" /></a>Again a million thanks to <a href="http://www.star-trek-voyager.net/">Janet's Star Trek Voyager Site</a> for all the references and interior window shots. This wouldn't be possible with out this fantastic resource.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-29076771568611525142009-05-19T11:55:00.000-07:002009-05-26T13:08:37.461-07:00Velma lives!All done with this animation. I had put Voyager on hold to do this because I got a bug up my butt after watching the source video. Good stuff.<br /><br /><center><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/afla7blbib8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/afla7blbib8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></center><br />....and the original...<br /><br /><center><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZGlVzAHpDz4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZGlVzAHpDz4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Back to Voyager now. Cheers!rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-20969290801792073292009-05-18T17:05:00.000-07:002009-05-18T17:09:36.015-07:00Schrödinger's Venn DiagramThis actually made me chuckle out loud. I'm so jaded because of the interwebs that it seldom happens anymore.<br /><br /><center><br /><a href="http://graphjam.com/2008/11/27/song-chart-memes-schrodingers-cat-is-watching/"><img class="mine_2622611" title="schrodingers-is-looking-at" src="http://graphjam.wordpress.com/files/2008/11/schrodingers-is-looking-at.gif" alt="song chart memes" /></a><br />see more <a href="http://graphjam.com/">Funny Graphs</a><br /></center><br /><br />Erwin Schrödinger is most notable to the regular populace because of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat">this thought experiment.</a>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-71523829733195115572009-03-31T09:25:00.000-07:002009-03-31T09:32:40.207-07:00Voyager UVingYou can never be too anal about your UV maps. My plans for this model require a huge texture map, so proper layout is crucial. This task is made sooooooo much easier with <a href="http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/polygon/2185.html">DannyUVTools</a>. Learning to use this very smart tool has made UVing almost enjoyable. Almost.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SdJEMjoESoI/AAAAAAAAAJo/rH3bc1dYsNU/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SdJEMjoESoI/AAAAAAAAAJo/rH3bc1dYsNU/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319389092390390402" border="0" /></a>Made the windows three times larger so I can squeeze in a lot of detail. Same with the background for the deflector dish.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-57436238271762952102009-03-23T17:39:00.000-07:002009-03-23T17:53:45.968-07:00Oopths. Voyager pt 4Thanks to <a href="http://www.star-trek-voyager.net/">Janet's Star Trek Voyager Site </a>I was able to gather up a lot more really good detail shots. Unfortunately, those really good close up shots showed me that I made a ton of mistakes. I got the aft torpedo launcher waaay wrong. I had to replace all the escape pod hatches. I got the forward deflector dish wrong.<br /><br />With the better shots I was also able to properly place the sensor strips along the saucer section. I also replaced the RCS thursters with much better versions<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScgsbIf3fII/AAAAAAAAAJg/GgOzg9W0uXU/s1600-h/img3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScgsbIf3fII/AAAAAAAAAJg/GgOzg9W0uXU/s320/img3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316548204760104066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">click the images to view larger</span><br /></div>Along the entire hull there are strips that I haven't been able to identify. They're prominent and numerous, and I'm only half way through putting them in. They're troublesome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScgsXW50hSI/AAAAAAAAAJY/thDG9h1qP5w/s1600-h/img2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScgsXW50hSI/AAAAAAAAAJY/thDG9h1qP5w/s320/img2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316548139907581218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScgsUufmuWI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/RU9UZoQPjrw/s1600-h/img1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScgsUufmuWI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/RU9UZoQPjrw/s320/img1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316548094700468578" border="0" /></a>Was able to better sculplt the cargo bay door and the impulse engine exhausts.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-79826689457033668082009-03-17T15:23:00.001-07:002009-03-17T16:05:37.558-07:00Voyager modeling part 3Making progress. Almost about done with the modeling stage. I'd like to get a lot of the extrusions out as geometry and paint less. Better for shadows and close ups shots. Of course, I can't model every little thing in. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjChlG3lI/AAAAAAAAAIw/XnCdlbwg_BA/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 336px; height: 287px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjChlG3lI/AAAAAAAAAIw/XnCdlbwg_BA/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314286086577905234" border="0" /></a>Bridge panels and escape pod hatches are all in. From what I can find, each escape pod can hold 6 crewmembers. There are 42 escape pods. Voyager's standard crew compliment is 150 people. So if you're ever a guest aboard and something goes amis, there's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqFXW02zA0A">plenty of room to spare</a> (skip to 2:30). <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjNsQE1jI/AAAAAAAAAJI/FylzLUT5Zoc/s1600-h/Untitled-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjNsQE1jI/AAAAAAAAAJI/FylzLUT5Zoc/s320/Untitled-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314286278421042738" border="0" /></a>Finally got the pylon hinges to a place where I'm happy with them. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjJW9Mn1I/AAAAAAAAAJA/tfm_Ve7qHMk/s1600-h/Untitled-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjJW9Mn1I/AAAAAAAAAJA/tfm_Ve7qHMk/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314286203985239890" border="0" /></a>She's got a great ass. For the most part, Voyager is perfectly symmetrical. All windows, indents, escape hatches, and other such stuff is a mirror image. Except one hole in the spine that is the EVA Egress Door (airlock in plain terms)--it's on the port side only.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjGOPcpJI/AAAAAAAAAI4/bO1A_KrWfDg/s1600-h/Untitled-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 151px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/ScAjGOPcpJI/AAAAAAAAAI4/bO1A_KrWfDg/s320/Untitled-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314286150106260626" border="0" /></a>That little round thingie that looks like an outtie belly button is the warp core ejection cap. There's actcually two. The one that's visible is just the cap for the secondary (spare) warp core. The primary is further aft, but I forgot it. :p<br />I should also model in the antimatter loading port since it sticks out an apprecieable distance.<br /><br />After those few additions (and whatever I realise I've glossed over) it's time to <a href="http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/texturing/248.html">lay out UVs</a>. Ooo....fun stuff.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-31554154361697735462009-03-12T15:41:00.000-07:002009-03-12T16:11:55.687-07:00More Voyager modelings goin' on...More time to work in the evenings that I was expecting, so I got more schtuff done on the Voyager. <br /><br />In adding the RCS thrusters (the small trapezoidal shape on the quarters of the saucer section) I messed up the overall shape of the saucer...didn't notice that until I was taking these shots.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmPtyfrTVI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/f_UizOT1xwM/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmPtyfrTVI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/f_UizOT1xwM/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312435252271730002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Click the image to see it larger<br /></span></div>The forward deck 4 (or 5) windows are too big, too. Some tweaking on the uniformity of the geometry when UV mapping time comes will be necessary. I think I'm gonna model in the escape pods instead of making them displacement maps--they protrude too far, I think. That goes for a lot of the rear sensors and transporter emitter pads, too. I haven't been able to find any images of the Aerowing separated from the ship, so I think that I'll displace that, too, instead of making it removable--I can't foresee the necessity.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmP2oqtjCI/AAAAAAAAAIg/NbSqQDtY8VQ/s1600-h/Untitled-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmP2oqtjCI/AAAAAAAAAIg/NbSqQDtY8VQ/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312435404252482594" border="0" /></a>Oddly, I had a major bite of a time getting the warp nacelles and impulse engines looking right. I'm still not one hundred percent on them, but I'll come back to 'em later. I also need to tweak the meet-up point between the main tubular body and the saucer section. It's too soft a transition as you can clearly see in the above image. And the termination to the deflector dish isn't complete either.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmP5urvYHI/AAAAAAAAAIo/-kkjreLXZkY/s1600-h/Untitled-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 176px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmP5urvYHI/AAAAAAAAAIo/-kkjreLXZkY/s320/Untitled-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312435457407017074" border="0" /></a>My next set of tasks is the aft torpedo launchers cut in.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmPzlxNS8I/AAAAAAAAAIY/WO4HxbzCE2Q/s1600-h/Untitled-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 186px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbmPzlxNS8I/AAAAAAAAAIY/WO4HxbzCE2Q/s320/Untitled-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312435351934815170" border="0" /></a>I am really pleased with the shuttle bay section. I will cut in doors later so that the Delta Flyer can come and go realistically. I really, really hate the pylon hinges. I can't find two images that show the same thing--seems that each person has their own interpretation on the concept.<br /><br />Anyway....time to go eat some pizza.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-31704244345819123342009-03-06T13:17:00.000-08:002009-03-06T13:34:57.682-08:00Live long and modelIt's no secret that I'm a huge Trekkie. I'm ubersiked for <a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrek/">ST9</a> coming out in May. While I love <a href="http://www.cbs.com/classics/star_trek/index.php">TOS</a>, I have to admit that Voyager is my fav of the shows. Voyager is an Intrepid class and one sexy ship. And, as I have recently found, a lot more complex than I originally gave her credit for. As you can see here, I'm not very far along...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbGTn_vsFJI/AAAAAAAAAH4/tiI-OfwD9x4/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbGTn_vsFJI/AAAAAAAAAH4/tiI-OfwD9x4/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310187750982161554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">click to view all images larger</span><br /></div>Two biggest trouble spots are the main delfector dish and the forward sensor array. I also see all the deck windows to be a problem when I get to them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbGUH-7jrvI/AAAAAAAAAIA/X8LpfrAzKBM/s1600-h/Untitled-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 106px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbGUH-7jrvI/AAAAAAAAAIA/X8LpfrAzKBM/s320/Untitled-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310188300519321330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbGUNtR-epI/AAAAAAAAAII/4d5VobZvjNw/s1600-h/Untitled-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 271px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SbGUNtR-epI/AAAAAAAAAII/4d5VobZvjNw/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310188398860728978" border="0" /></a>Texturing is gonna be a challenge, too. Now that you're done here, check these places out:<br /><a href="http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/">Star Trek: New Voyages</a><br /><a href="http://www.hiddenfrontier.com/">Star Trek: Hidden Frontier</a><br /><a href="http://www.hiddenfrontier.com/episodes/indexody.php">Star Trek: Odyssey</a><br /><a href="http://www.hiddenfrontier.com/episodes/indexhc.php">Star Trek: The Helena Chronicles </a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf9oD_xl8mI">That Jean-Luc Picard</a>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-65742639336020362642008-12-02T10:09:00.000-08:002008-12-02T10:31:50.263-08:00Textured and rigged...for the most part.Haven't updated in a while about this, but I have been working on it. I swear. She's textured for the most part. I'll go back later and add some finer details, but I don't wanna stay too closely focused on one element and skimp on others.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6UTLx6ZI/AAAAAAAAAFc/D0WXHSJmtko/s1600-h/TexturePreview.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6UTLx6ZI/AAAAAAAAAFc/D0WXHSJmtko/s320/TexturePreview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275257027700058514" border="0" /></a>The rig is also done for the most part. As I weight the geometry to the bones, sometimes I catch that a pivot or a series of bones isn't quite where it should be. It's an on going process.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6UCLXcII/AAAAAAAAAFU/tOLEacnr1V4/s1600-h/RigPreview.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 318px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6UCLXcII/AAAAAAAAAFU/tOLEacnr1V4/s320/RigPreview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275257023134920834" border="0" /></a>Face is rigged, too. Controlled grossly with blendshapes, and more finely with face bones. This is where majority of the refinement is being done. Even after a few animation tests, I'm still finding places where things aren't quite right.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6UJ7HkXI/AAAAAAAAAFM/a0XmlGpchIQ/s1600-h/FaceRigPreview.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6UJ7HkXI/AAAAAAAAAFM/a0XmlGpchIQ/s320/FaceRigPreview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275257025214255474" border="0" /></a>Like in this test, the lower lips aren't responding as well as I'd like them to. From screen left, count 1-6, joints 2 and 4 need attention in the weighting department and joints 1 and 6 seem extraneous. On the top row joints 1 and 6 could stand some weight polishing. I'm also not too happy with the pucker-face blendshape target, so that'll need attention. A laundry list of things to take care of.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y_BWkkxCrGQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y_BWkkxCrGQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I've rigged her in my usual method of control-rig connected to the skeleton, physically, through only one point--a Point Constraint on the root joint. Everything else is matched up via hierarchy. Both Controls and Skeleton are parented under one master Character Control Curve (seen in the second image above as the 4-pointed shape under her feet). This control is for scene positioning and shouldn't be keyed. The root of the Control skeleton is the one control you need to key (named appropriately KeyMe). You set your animation preferences to key the entire hierarchy, create your pose, select the KeyMe curve and press "S". Done. All controls are now keyed.<br />Alternately, it's a very easy way of restoring the bind pose. Select the KeyMe curve, select the hierarchy by entering "select -hi;" and then entering zeros in all transformations. Bam. Inital pose reacquired.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6Uml9A2I/AAAAAAAAAFk/U_RTFLvsrBM/s1600-h/HypergraphHier.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/STV6Uml9A2I/AAAAAAAAAFk/U_RTFLvsrBM/s320/HypergraphHier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275257032910111586" border="0" /></a>Okay, I lied. It's not only one place. The face is a separated hierarchy so that you can work on it separately. The KeyMe control for that is the big face-shaped curve around the face controls. Same principal, though.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-1702321269654940812008-09-26T19:28:00.000-07:002008-09-26T19:35:03.559-07:00Velma Modeling 2Had a few more hours to work on her. For the most part the blocking is done. Now it's time to get to the details. I did get some in the hair and in the face, but there's a lot to go. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SN2az7tdR-I/AAAAAAAAAE8/piAXP9auXmw/s1600-h/Img3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SN2az7tdR-I/AAAAAAAAAE8/piAXP9auXmw/s320/Img3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250522957576226786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SN2a6E6AnYI/AAAAAAAAAFE/Rueec7jolig/s1600-h/Img4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SN2a6E6AnYI/AAAAAAAAAFE/Rueec7jolig/s320/Img4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250523063124008322" /></a><br />After stoping, taking a break and looking again...I'm not digging the hands. The finger tips are too rounded and not supple/feminine enough. Legs on the upper side--under the skirt--are sticking out of the dress. Glasses are way off. A bunch of stuff on my trusty yellow pad to take care of. <br />All in all, though, I think she's looking okay so far.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-24621714585869067042008-09-22T13:12:00.000-07:002008-09-26T19:35:33.421-07:00Velma ModelingHaving a little time here and there, I thought I'd do a little practice in an area I'm not too strong in: modeling. And since it's my choice, I choose...her. The smart chick with the glasses. The under appreciated one who always get the right answer but almost never gets the credit for it. I have me a Velma in real life and she never disappoints, but there are, as a causal search tell me, no 3D Velmas out there. A model sheet was pretty easy to turn up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SNf9Jiq67jI/AAAAAAAAAEI/19PdWKORyNo/s1600-h/Velma.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SNf9Jiq67jI/AAAAAAAAAEI/19PdWKORyNo/s320/Velma.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248942231091080754" /></a><br /><br />And after several hours of pushing and pulling, this is what I have so far.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SNf9abyxHMI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/RbTzxRcHg_g/s1600-h/Img1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SNf9abyxHMI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/RbTzxRcHg_g/s320/Img1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248942521302719682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SNf9gRz9AzI/AAAAAAAAAEY/aYkqy_PIQAM/s1600-h/Img2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/SNf9gRz9AzI/AAAAAAAAAEY/aYkqy_PIQAM/s320/Img2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248942621702554418" /></a><br /><br />Didn't have a good arm shot, so I had to draw one in curves and kinda guess at it through some Scooby Doo episodes. The eyes are going to be a problem. There are figurines of the gang out there, but they're usually cheap-mold versions and her eyes are painted right on to the glasses. That, obviously, won't work here so that'll be an interesting puzzle.<br />Back to work.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-28890294586526894642008-08-21T09:16:00.000-07:002008-08-21T09:17:54.501-07:00Psycho CyanIf you've played any Final Fantasy game, this ought to impress you.<br><br><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vt9YmtT5PC0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vt9YmtT5PC0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-5658036795457456082008-08-11T07:47:00.001-07:002008-08-11T07:47:44.798-07:00Michael Jackson's Punch-Out!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ILjJDcI2Em8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ILjJDcI2Em8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-21944954080875370102008-08-01T12:03:00.001-07:002008-08-01T12:05:57.517-07:00Pixar's Presto!Stop what you're doing right now and go watch this:<br /><br />http://www.gamaniak.com/video-2822-presto-pixar.html<br /><br />And when it comes to DVD along side <a href="http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/">Wall-E</a>...buy it. It's more than worth it.rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-79444754564266334882008-04-30T12:31:00.000-07:002008-04-30T12:42:32.707-07:00Translates To YouA great way to know that you have too many things going on at the same time is that you never get anything finished. This little exercise I put together over the past few weeks in my limited spare time. The voice is <span>Charlton Heston from True Lies (you can find the original audio <a href="http://www.dailywav.com/">here</a>). And the rig is from </span><span></span><a href="http://shrtcww.com/journal/136/generick" target="_blank" title="http://shrtcww.com/journal/136/generick" rel="nofollow">http://shrtcww.com/journal/136/generick</a> It's an awesome rig to work with with only one minor little complaint: The mouth doesn't pucker very well. Pronounced Os and kisses don't read smoothly. Other than that, it's better than anything I've ever put together...so I use it.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/53VKFDz6kDY&amp;hl=en&amp;color1=0x2b405b&amp;color2=0x6b8ab6"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/53VKFDz6kDY&amp;hl=en&amp;color1=0x2b405b&amp;color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-401164537488465492008-02-07T10:53:00.000-08:002008-02-07T11:14:16.129-08:00Custom Mel Script Buttons<div style="text-align: left;">This is a shortie tip/trick on how to work easily with other people's rigs in Maya. I dunno about you, but I like to set keys on my controls all on the same frame while I'm laying out my animations. This allows for easier massaging of timing and make changing a pose easier when the need arises. I've seen and worked with animators who's keys are all over the place and if you're handed an animation and asked to finish it, it's a hairball to pass. </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">In this example I'm using <a href="http://shrtcww.com/journal/136/generick">Generick</a>, an awesome rig by <a href="http://shrtcww.com/">Ian Jones</a> that can be found <a href="http://shrtcww.com/journal/136/generick">here</a>. I also suggest perusing his site....it's fantastic.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Now, on to the point. You've just received this awesome rig:</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tT9vJ3uyI/AAAAAAAAADY/Rrg4UhBtIqQ/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tT9vJ3uyI/AAAAAAAAADY/Rrg4UhBtIqQ/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164313717805398818" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">You didn't rig it, and unless you wanna spend the next several hour deconstructing it, or have a document on how to best use it (such as a Hierarchy-Keying method, or a snazzy custom interface) you're gonna be stuck having to grab all those controls and key them each time. Gets kinda tedious after a while and being human you're gonna miss one here and there causing you to go back and find that one you missed and...well, it's annoying. 'Nuff said.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Maya's command structure makes it easy to automate stuff since almost everything you do is echoed in the script editor. If we select something, that selection is typed up. If we wanted to do a bunch of stuff, we simply need to select all that stuff and copy the commands that Maya uses and then make a Shelf button for it. It's easier than you think.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Using a custom shelf we're going to make four buttons. Two for selecting, separately, the face and the body, and two more buttons for setting keys on the same controls that the other buttons select. We'll then make labels and choose icons for those buttons to make identifying them as easy as possible.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">First, make a new Shelf by choosing the little down-arrow next to the Shelf and choose New Shelf. Name the shelf whatever you want. Then select that shelf to be current. Empty and waiting.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUavJ3u0I/AAAAAAAAADo/3M7180RJfbA/s1600-h/Untitled-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUavJ3u0I/AAAAAAAAADo/3M7180RJfbA/s320/Untitled-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164314216021605186" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Open your script editor with the button or by choosing <span style="font-style: italic;">Window->General Editors->Script Editor</span>. If you're not familiar with this window I recommend leaving it open at the side and watching it as you do your thing. Get familiar with the commands that Maya sends through the Mel scripting language (or Python in later versions).</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">To make things easier to identify, I like to clear the backscroll by choosing, in the Script Editor window) <span style="font-style: italic;">Edit->Clear All</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Next, so's I don't select stuff I don't want by accident, I trim off items in the Selection Mask that I don't want to grab. Here, all I want is curves, so that's the only thing left unpressed.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUUfJ3uzI/AAAAAAAAADg/ynV_wll_q64/s1600-h/Untitled-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUUfJ3uzI/AAAAAAAAADg/ynV_wll_q64/s320/Untitled-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164314108647422770" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">You may also want to check your Set Key options (<span style="font-style: italic;">Animate->Set Key</span>) and make sure that everything is the way you want it to be. I recommend reseting the tool.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">After that carefully select the items that you want your Shelf Command to work with. Check out your Script Editor output:</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUgPJ3u1I/AAAAAAAAADw/ehlnH6OM8Lk/s1600-h/Untitled-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUgPJ3u1I/AAAAAAAAADw/ehlnH6OM8Lk/s320/Untitled-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164314310510885714" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The first line you see in the image is “select -cl ;” This is a result of my clicking in an empty spot to make sure that nothing was selected. The other three lines are me, first selecting some controls, holding shift, selecting more, and then again holding shift selecting a third bunch. Doesn't matter what tool you use to make the selection, so if the Lasso makes it easier, do it.<br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Now that things are selected, hit “s” on your keyboard setting keys on the selected items. </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">You'll see the resulting setKeyframe command and all it's flags appear followed by a “// Result: ## //” line where ## is the number of items that Maya has keyed for you.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">We now have the two repetitive tasks laid out for use to reuse over and over. Select the “select” items, then, using your Middle Mouse Button click and drag the command to the shelf. A “Mel” button will appear.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUnfJ3u2I/AAAAAAAAAD4/C6SbdPKYOWg/s1600-h/Untitled-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUnfJ3u2I/AAAAAAAAAD4/C6SbdPKYOWg/s320/Untitled-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164314435064937314" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Do the same thing for the setKeyframe line. Don't worry about the “result” message. You can now undo the key framing unless you want to keep it.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Now to customize those buttons and make them identifiable. Choose <span style="font-style: italic;">Window->Settings/Preferences->Shelves</span>... In the resulting window, you have three tabs. You should open up to the Shelf Contents tab with your new Shelf and it's Mel buttons all ready to be edited. Select the first item...it should look obvious enough. Change the Label &amp; Tooltip to something meaningful, such as “Select the characters face” and change the Icon Name to “Face”. The Icon Name is what you'll see on the shelf and it's a limited size, so any names that are too long will be truncated. Next, click the Change Image button. The resulting dialog box will put you in the default icons directory (It depends on what version you have as to where this may be). For all the buttons on the other shelves, this is where Maya stores them. I recommend using only these icons, but if you want to make custom icons I'll tell you how at the end of this tutorial. I prefer to use USERASELECT.BMP for the selection button (It's a red mouse cursor) and USERMENUICONKEYS.BMP for the Key button (It's an image of a key).</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Do the same thing for the other button, but this one's a Key command so make the appropriate changes.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">To make a pair of buttons for the body or whatever other items you may want, repeat the steps making the appropriate substitutions. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">I usually end up with something like this:</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUuPJ3u3I/AAAAAAAAAEA/8e2NmsSH-js/s1600-h/Untitled-6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/R6tUuPJ3u3I/AAAAAAAAAEA/8e2NmsSH-js/s320/Untitled-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164314551029054322" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Now you can pose your character and simply click the Key button to set that pose, or if you're editing you can simply click the Select button and move all your keys at once. Easy-peasy.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Custom Icons</span> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The icons are nothing more than 32x32 pixel BMP files. It's a simple matter of screen-grabbing a representation of the command (such as a picture of the head for the face icon) and making the changes in Photoshop. If you share, move, or backup your shelves, though, remember to take the icon, too. When I make shelves for other animators in my office I use the icons that come with the Maya installation so that I don't have to track down icons files and place them in the proper places.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Your shelves are located in your My Documents folder then \maya\version#\prefs\shelves\</p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">That's all there is to it. Making your own shelf buttons for common tasks, even temporary ones, makes your work flow smoother. Now, if only there was a Mel command for “make coffee.”</p>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-45536952116285225072008-01-10T09:59:00.000-08:002008-01-10T10:02:42.901-08:00Refresh your InboxRight before I Stumbled upon this <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/">xkcd</a> comic, I refreshed my inbox.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/dreams.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/dreams.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347670146267812753.post-61938263759273640882007-11-06T18:32:00.000-08:002007-11-06T19:14:53.441-08:00Dynamic Phone Cord<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />Sorry for the absence. No excuses....so let's get to it. This one was requested a<br />little bit ago. The dynamic phone cord. There's a really good tutorial on <a href="http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/dynamics_fx/Creating-a-dynamic-telephone-cord-using-Maya-Hair-289.html">Highend3d </a>for<br />this one, and it's quite similar, but that's because the end result is the same and in<br />Maya there's then ways to model a skinned cat. <a href="http://www.elendor.net/">Mush!</a><br /><br />First, we need some geometry. I just happen to have, handy, a phone and handset modeled.<br />How convenient, eh? First off we need to draw a curve. After that curve is drawn, do<br />a <span style="font-style: italic;">Edit Curves->Rebuild Curve</span>. Reset the tool and set the spans to a nicely spaced<br />number. For my cord it's 10 spans, but your curve may be longer or shorter and you<br />should adjust that value to a suitable amount. Just don't want the spans too far or too<br />close to each other.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzElq8AVqRI/AAAAAAAAACo/G3s2uz_fIWY/s1600-h/Image01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzElq8AVqRI/AAAAAAAAACo/G3s2uz_fIWY/s320/Image01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129922870143985938" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Next, <span style="font-style: italic;">Hair->Make Selected Curves Dynamic</span>. We go from having Curve1 to having:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzElvcAVqSI/AAAAAAAAACw/Gzk5K6cPp-o/s1600-h/Image02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzElvcAVqSI/AAAAAAAAACw/Gzk5K6cPp-o/s320/Image02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129922947453397282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Select follicle1 and set <span style="font-weight: bold;">Point Lock</span> to NoAttach. This determines which end Maya holds<br />when a simulation is run. To facilitate control, we're telling Maya to let go of the<br />curve completely. If you hit play, the curve will <a href="http://music.mp3lizard.com/foreverinfall/">fall forever</a> into the distance. This<br />is no good, of course, so we're gonna make two constraints. select curve1 (in the<br />outliner is easiest), right click and choose the first CV. <span>Hitup </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Hair->Create</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Constraint->Transform</span>. You'll see a small locator-esque item appear. That's the<br />constraint handle, Do the same thing to the opposite end. Parent the constraints to<br />their respective geometry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzElycAVqTI/AAAAAAAAAC4/E6pIhm5oLEE/s1600-h/Image03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzElycAVqTI/AAAAAAAAAC4/E6pIhm5oLEE/s320/Image03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129922998993004850" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For now, I prefer to set <span style="font-weight: bold;">Stiffness</span> on hairSystem1 to 0 and crank the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gravity</span> to 9.8.<br />Also, turn on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Self Collide</span>. This makes a simulation run quickly so I can see if it's even<br />working up to this point. Before you hit play, though, make sure that you're playing<br />Every Frame....check your Animation Preferences. Each frame of the simulation depends on<br />the results of the previous frame and if you play at a frame rate, but your computer<br />can't keep up Maya will skip frames and this could cause errors and flub-ups in the<br />simulation.<br /><br />At the moment all we have is a dynamic curve. Looks noting like a phone cord. Let's add<br />a paint effects stroke to it by selecting <span style="font-style: italic;">Hair->Assign PaintFX Brush to Hair</span> (need to<br />have the hairsystem1 selected for this). You won't see any results in the 3D view, but<br />Maya will birth pfxHair1 in the outliner. Keeping that selected, goto<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Modify->Convert->Paint Effects to Polygons</span>.<br />Again, you're not going to see much change except the new brush2MeshGroup and it's child<br />brush. Here's where we affect changes to make this mess look like a phone cord.<br />Select the Brush by selecting pfxHair1 and in the Attributes Editor, selecting the brush2<br />tab. Set the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Global Scal</span>e to 1.<br />Now select hairSystem1 and expand the Clump and Hair Shape group. Some major changes<br />here, so I'll list them for easier reading.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hairs per clump</span> = 1 (only want one cord)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subsegments</span> = 10 (good to match the spans you rebuilt the curve prior)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clump Width</span> = 1<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hair Width</span> = 1.5 (Global scale x Hair Width = what you see)<br /><br />In the ranged areas, hit the little x's to make the position curves flat.<br />Type these values into the Selected Value area...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ClumpWidthScale</span> = 2 (the diameter of the cord's curl)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HairWidthScale</span> = 1 (this is for changing the Hair Width along the length, but we need a<br />unifomrly width'd cord. If you need to affect the diameter of the cord itself, then<br />adjust Hair Width (above)).<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ClumpCurl</span> = 2.5 (this is how many times the cord runs around itself--use more or less to<br />get the right look for your cord)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clump Flatness</span> = 0 (Smooshes the ClumpWidthScale affect, so use that value to adjust<br />instead)<br /><br />At the moment, you see a black cord, but you can assign your shader of choice to it.<br />Now that you can see your cord go back to that brush2 node you were on before and expand<br />the Brush Profile group. Change flatness1 to a value that flattens your cord to your<br />liking. Too much is too much.<br /><br />If you want to see the results in action, choose the Hair Tab (have you <a href="http://www.geekgirls.com/windows_saving_files.htm">saved your file</a><br />yet? If not, here's a good time. I'll wait. Done? Alright. Cool.) then select the<br />handset geometry, choose the move tool, and click the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Arrow">green arrow</a> on the shelf<br />(Interactive Playback). Move the handset around and you should see things working for<br />the most part. Reload your saved file just to put things back in order.<br />Back to that hairSystemShape1 node. Expand Dynamics and set the Stiffness Scale to look<br />like a soft depression like in the image below. This makes the cord rigid when it goes<br />into and comes out of the geometry, but soft and chewy in the center.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzEl4cAVqUI/AAAAAAAAADA/XH3Gz5c7GgI/s1600-h/Image04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzEl4cAVqUI/AAAAAAAAADA/XH3Gz5c7GgI/s320/Image04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129923102072219970" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For the cord to interact with the environment you can either create a collision cube (via<br />the hair menu--have the hairsystem selected), or you can do a makeCollide (select the<br />hair system and then the geometry it's to collide with). Play around with these to see<br />which works best for your situation.<br /><br />When you hit play, you'll notice that the cord sags for a bit. This is no good unless<br />you start all your animation on frame 20 or so. To address this we need to set the<br />dynamic curve in a relaxed pose. Hit play and let it go until the cord settles down. In<br />the outliner select curve2 from under hairSystem1OutputCurves and choose Hair->Set Start<br />Position->From Current. You'll see curve2 assume the current position, and when you<br />rewind the animation this will now be where the simulation starts.<br /><br /><br />Your cord probably looks pretty low resolution at the moment, but ignore that for now and<br />do your animation. When it comes time to render you can either do a polySmooth on the<br />geometry, or you can crank the SubSegments on the hairSystemShape1 node.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=O92FUDfHU4o"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jAbsLoJFQjU/RzEl8MAVqVI/AAAAAAAAADI/b_i5iGv41gs/s320/Image05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129923166496729426" border="0" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, now. That was easy, eh? <a href="http://wii.com/">Have Fun!</a><br /></p>rancie11http://www.blogger.com/profile/15563985109709708699noreply@blogger.com63